Desserts a Leprechaun Would Love

Boozy Sweets for St. Patrick’s Day

For a lot of people, certain holidays are not just an excuse to drink, but an excuse to drink more. Blame it on the festive nature of the day – the party throngs of Mardi Gras, the ticking clock of New Year’s – but somehow, these holidays bring out the binge-drinker in many folks.

St. Patrick’s Day may be the guiltiest of all when it comes to encouraging bibulous overindulgence. If you aren’t much of a heavy-duty imbiber – or you simply don’t want to be out amongst the Gaelic-minded throngs tomorrow – consider a whiskey or beer-tinged dessert to whet your Irish whistle. Of course, if you feel the need pour yourself a beer and a shot, we won’t fault you one wee bit.

Chocolate Pot with Whiskey Cream

Courtesy of Chef Ralph Johnson, The Pikey, Los Angeles

Makes: 6-7 pots

Ingredients:

• 250 g (about 1/2 lb.) Plain bitter sweet chocolate 70% cocoa (we use Valhrona)
• 1 Gelatin leaf
• 375 ml (about 1 1/2 cups) Heavy cream
• 125 ml (about 1/2 cup) Whole milk
• 100 g (about 1/2 cup) Granulated sugar
• Whiskey cream (see recipe below)

Preparation: Cut chocolate into pieces and put in a large bowl and set aside. Add the gelatin leaf to a separate bowl and add cold water. In a sauce pan add the milk, cream and sugar slowly bringing it to a boil stirring occasionally. Once the cream is boiling, take it off the heat and add the squeezed out gelatin leaf and stir until dissolved. Pour milk mixture into the bowl with the chocolate and whisk until the chocolate is dissolved with a beautiful glossy chocolate cream. Pour the mixture into 6 molds and leave in refrigerator for 6 hours until set.

Whiskey Cream:

• 1 pint Heavy whipping cream
• 1 – 2 oz. Good single-malt whisky or Irish whiskey
• Powdered sugar to taste

Preparation: Whisk cream until stiff. Add whisky and mix together. Add powdered sugar to taste. Serve the chocolate pot with the cream.

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Whiskey Charms Milkshake

Courtesy of Coolhaus, Culver City, CA

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cups Whiskey-Lucky Charms ice cream (see below)
• 1/4 cup Whole milk
• Lucky Charms, to top

Preparation: In a blender, combine ice cream, milk, and three quarters of cookie and blend on high for 30 seconds, until shake is pourable, but not too thick. (Use a bar spoon to loosen as needed.) Pour into a serving glass. Top with whipped cream and extra Lucky Charms.

Whiskey-Lucky Charms Ice Cream

Makes: about 1 1/2 quarts

Ingredients:

• Plain Custard Base (see below)
• 1/4 cup Bushmills or Jameson Irish whiskey
• 3/4 cup Lucky Charms cereal

Preparation: Process custard base in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions. Add whiskey during last 2 minutes of churning. Transfer to a bowl and fold in cereal. Scrape into an airtight storage container. Freeze for a minimum of 2 hours before serving.

Custard Base

Ingredients:

• 2 cups Whole milk
• 2 cups Heavy cream
• 1 1/4 cups Granulated sugar
• 8 large Egg yolks

Preparation: In a 4-quart saucepan, combine milk, cream, and half of sugar. Set over high heat, and cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture comes to a boil, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk yolks and remaining sugar until smooth, heavy, and pale yellow, about 30 seconds. When cream mixture just comes to a boil, whisk, remove from heat, and, in a slow stream, pour half of cream mixture over yolk/sugar mixture, whisking constantly until blended. Return pan to stovetop over low heat. Whisking constantly, stream yolk-cream mixture back into pan. With a wooden spoon, continue stirring until mixture registers 165 to 180 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, about 2 minutes. Do not heat above 180 degrees, or eggs in base will scramble. Mixture should be slightly thickened and coat the back of spoon, with steam rising, but not boiling. (If you blow on the back of the spoon and the mixture ripples, you’ve got the right consistency.) Pour base into a clean container and refrigerate for 12 to 24 hours. Use base within 3 to 5 days.

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Freaky Styley

Courtesy of Jason Eisner, Beverage Director at Gracias Madre, West Hollywood, CA

Ingredients:

• 12 oz. Sam Smith chocolate stout
• Coconut Milk Horchata Foam (see below)
• Peanut Ice (see below)
• Pink Sea Salt

Preparations: Take a pint glass, and fill the bottom with 3 ounces of Peanut Ice Mixture. Freeze.
Fill half of an iSi whipper with Coconut Horchata Mixture. Use two N20 cartridges and gas up Coconut Horchata. Place in the fridge for one hour. When everything is ready, add Chocolate Stout to the pint glass with the frozen Peanut Mixture. Using the iSi Whipper, top off with Horchata Foam. Garnish with pink sea salt.

Peanut Ice Mixture

Ingredients:

• (1) 13 1/2 oz. Can full-fat coconut milk
• 3/4 cups Peanut butter
• 1-2 tablespoons Agave nectar

Preparations: Dump can of coconut milk in a large measuring cup and whisk until smooth. Stir in peanut butter and whisk until smooth. Stir in about 1-2 tablespoon agave nectar to taste, adding more until the level of sweetness suits you. Pour into glassware and freeze.

Coconut Horchata Foam

Ingredients:

• 1 cups Soaked brown basmati rice
• 1 cup Full-fat coconut milk
• 1 teaspoon Organic almond extract
• 1/4 tsp. Vanilla powder
• 1/2 cup Agave nectar
• 1/8 tsp. Salt
• 1 tsp. Cinnamon
• 6 cups Water

Preparation: Blend well in Vitamix or blender and double strain into a Cambro, or other storage container. Once ready, fill iSi whipper halfway and gas it up with two N20 cartridges.

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Whiskey Chocolate Macarons

Courtesy of Razmig Tchoboian, Napoleon’s Macarons, Glendale,CA

Makes: 25 macarons

Ingredients:

• 50 Cookie shells
• Whiskey Chocolate Ganache

Preparation: Lay cookie shells on cookie sheet. Pour ganache into a standard piping bag. Carefully pipe small balls (approximately the size of a quarter in diameter) of the filling onto 25 macaron shells. Add the top shells, gently pressing until the filling spreads to the edges of the macarons. Let the macarons sit for 24-48 hours in the refrigerator.

Cookie Shell Ingredients:

• 1 cup + 2 tablespoons Confectioners’ sugar
• 1 cup + 4 tablespoons Hazelnut flour
• 1 cup Egg whites, room temperature
• A few drops of natural food coloring – yellow and white
• 1 cup Superfine sugar
• 1/4 cup Water

Preparation: Preheat oven at 350˚F degrees. Combine the confectioners’ sugar and almond flour in a bowl, sifting until evenly mixed. In a separate bowl, combine 1/2 cup of the egg whites with a few drops of natural food coloring. Pour on top of flour/sugar mixture without stirring. Set aside. In a saucepan, combine the superfine sugar and water, warming on medium heat. Once the sugar/water mixture reaches 215˚F on an instant-read thermometer, pour the remaining 1/2 cup of egg whites into a separate bowl. Beat at medium speed until soft peaks form, gently stirring the sugar water mixture simultaneously. When the sugar/water mixture reaches 245˚F on an instant-read thermometer, carefully pour, in small portions, on top of the egg whites being beaten. Continue beating on high speed for 2-3 minutes until stiff peaks form, careful not to overbeat the meringue. Sift the flour mixture over the meringue, folding until the mixture is smooth (but not liquid) and just incorporated. Pour the batter into a piping bag with a cake icer tip. Pipe out 1 1/2” inch rounds on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. (Tip: lightly outline your circles with pencil before piping.) Gently tap your baking sheets on your kitchen counter or working table, letting the piped rounds sit for approximately 20 minutes. Bake the rounds for approximately 12 minutes; let cool.

Whiskey Chocolate Ganache

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Heavy cream
• 1 1/4 oz. Whiskey
• 7 oz. White chocolate
• 2 3/4 oz. Milk chocolate

Preparation: In a saucepan, heat the heavy cream and whiskey over medium-high heat. When the mixture reaches a simmer, turn off the heat and add the white and milk chocolates in three parts to melt, making sure they’re completely combined with each addition. Once the white and milk chocolates are completely incorporated, begin mixing more vigorously, until the temperature reaches 95˚F on an instant-read thermometer. Pour the mixture into a wide, flat container (preferably a glass baking dish). Lay plastic wrap over the ganache, making sure there is no air between the two. Let the ganache sit in the refrigerator for approx. 15 minutes.